


Baby Bat

by FleetSparrow



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 11:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16973682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetSparrow/pseuds/FleetSparrow
Summary: Cass gets deaged by a villain and Jaime has to figure out what to do with her.  So long as Oracle doesn't kill him, first.





	Baby Bat

**Author's Note:**

> An old fic from 2014, when I took a lot of prompts about various characters.

Jaime always felt a little weird around the other heroes.  It wasn’t as though he didn’t belong— although he wasn’t entirely sure he  _did_  belong, because this was a  _career_  for a lot of them and he was a student who just happens to have sentient alien tech attached to him, totally not the same— but it’s just hard to be around people when you look like you’re always talking to yourself.  For all the power rings and in-ear comms around the League, he swore he racked up the most sideways glances.

Some people didn’t give him weird looks, at least.  Batgirl always watched him, sure, but not in the “there’s something wrong with you” way.  More of the “there’s something odd about you” way, which wasn’t too different, but that was the best distinction he had.

Khaji Da was 100% sure she was a threat when they met as civilians for the first time.  Jaime was almost completely covered in armor before he realized who she is and could tell Khaji Da to stop it.

“That’s it,” she’d said, pointing at him as the armor slowly withdraws.  "You’re… two.“  She held up two fingers and they, along with the frown on her face, made Jaime suddenly think of a suspicious Misty for a moment.

"Yeah.  It gets… weird sometimes, y’know?”

She smiled and nodded, and somehow, Jaime was pretty sure she actually got it.

It’s several weeks later that he’s in Gotham— because the Scarab is after  _something_  and Jaime’s sort of along for the ride no matter what— and teams up with her again.  They’re racing across the rooftops after an energy trail and Jaime can’t help but think about how  _cool_  it is that, a) he’s pretty sure they’re into the friend zone now— as opposed to the awkward stranger, acquaintance, and team member zones— and, b) he’s actually friends with a  _Bat_.

It’s considerably less cool when the thing they’re chasing starts shooting.  Cass gets hit with a concussive blast and falls back over the roof towards the alley, and damn whatever Khaji wants, but Jaime’s going after her.  Friends before… something that rhymes, whatever.

He zooms over the edge of the building, worried he’s already too late when he sees her crumpled on the fire escape.  Or rather, he sees her crumpled  _suit_  on the fire escape.  ”B-Batgirl?”

The suit suddenly moves in a very strange way, something rolling under the torso to pull at the mask.  When the cowl falls back, Jaime finds himself staring at… well, he’s pretty sure she’s Batgirl.

“Ca— Batgirl?  You’re a… kid?”

She pouts and waves her arms, making the suit flutter around her.  She looks just a little younger than Milagro, maybe about five or so, and yet strangely doesn’t seem too afraid by his mask.

Jaime kneels down in front of her, the armor over his face pulling back instantly as if Khaji is also worried it might scare her.  ”Hey, Cass.  I guess that guy, uh…  I mean, it could be worse?”  Yeah, OK, he hadn’t been  _nearly_  this awkward with his sister, but Milagro wasn’t a Bat.

He jolts as he feels— heck, he should probably call them what they are— tentacles spring out of his back and extend in front of him.  They wave in front of Cass, catching her attention immediately.  She smiles and laughs, reaching for the tentacles as they dance around her, and Jaime can’t help but smile, too.

_“Blue Beetle?  Where is Batgirl?”_

The voice cuts through his head and makes him jump before scrabbling to reply.  ”Uh, uh, Oracle!  She’s, um, she’s fine.  She’s just, uh, little.”

_“She was shrunk?”_

“No?  She’s just, like, a kid.”

There’s a long pause on the other line and Jaime’s pretty sure it’s being filled with thoughts of all the ways this is totally his fault.

_“Bring her to the Clock Tower.  Oracle out.”_

Jaime lets out a long sigh and facepalms at himself because he’s totally in for it.  Something touches him suddenly, and he moves his hands to see Cass hugging him and smiling up at him.

“Hey, hermanita, ready to go see Oracle?”

Cass smiles and nods, letting go of him to lift her arms in an “up” motion, and Jaime wonders if she’s always been quiet.  Khaji’s tentacles gather up her and her suit until Jaime’s got a hold of her, and then he takes off, his mask sliding over his face once again.

“It’s probably only a temporary thing, right?” he asks.  Khaji Da starts rattling off something about the type of ray that hit her and the possible effects of it before Jaime shakes his head.  "Hey, listen.  Tell all that to Oracle, OK?  She’s the one who needs to know.  In fact, why don’t you relay that over to her right now?“

That will buy him a little reprieve from chastisement.  Hopefully.


End file.
